Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken

Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken simmered with Mexican spices, salsa and green chilies for amazingly flavorful chicken for tacos, burritos, nachos, soups, salads, etc. and all you do is dump and run! You NEED this in your back pocket!

After all, tacos, burritos, nachos, tostadas, chimichangas, enchiladas, etc. are only as good as the meat and this Mexican Chicken is stellar. It will be the star of your Mexican dishes and bonus! – it is super easy and fabulous for make-ahead or even freeze-ahead meals. Use the chicken plain in your recipes or top them all off with Homemade Salsa,Salsa Verde or Pico de Gallo for an added layer of YUM!

Rub chicken breasts with oil and place in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the hot sauce. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours or until chicken is tender enough to shred.

Remove chicken to a cutting board, and let rest 5 minutes before shredding (there will be liquid remaining). Return shredded chicken and let cook on low for an additional 20 minutes to absorb some of the liquid/juices. Drain all excess liquid (see note***). Taste and add hot sauce to taste if desired.

Recipe Notes

*Liquid Smoke is found next to the BBQ sauces in any grocery store and adds a wonderfully smokey flavor. ***Use 3 tablespoons brown sugar if using mild salsa and not using ground chipotle chili pepper. Use 4 tablespoons if you are using medium salsa and/or the ground chipotle chili pepper. The brown sugar balances out the heat. I use both medium salsa and the chipotle chili pepper and it has a kick but not overly spicy in my opinion - perfect to be smothered in cheese. I had a comment that the chicken is not spicy at all if you leave out the chipotle pepper - perfect for kids. ***When I drain my excess liquid, I top a large bowl with a strainer and add slow cooker contents, pressing down on chicken to get rid of all of the excess moisture. I then use drained liquid plus additional needed water to cook my rice for AMAZING flavored rice. ***If serving over rice, try stirring in some enchilada sauce after you drain your chicken for some saucy Enchilada Mexican Chicken. ****Chicken freezes beautifully.

Comments

Oh no! poor crockpot! To make on the stove, add ingredients to a Dutch oven/stock pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally Cover and reduce heat to low for 45-60 minutes or until the chicken shreds when you use a fork, adding more broth/water if needed. Hope this helps!

I’ve NEVER left a comment on a recipe before, though I am notorious for reading them all before I decide to make something. That being said, I was compelled to comment on this recipe. OMG! It was SO delicious. I followed the directions exactly, except I omitted the brown sugar and threw everything into a pot on the stove (my crockpot was mad at me today). I used the chicken to make chimichangas. Wow! Wow! Wow! I am thrilled to have found this recipe. Thanks SO much for sharing!

If you never leave compliments than this is the ULTIMATE compliment – thank you, thank you! I am thrilled you loved it so much and it that it turned out just as delicious on the stove! YAY! I hope you find more recipes to love here enough to comment on 🙂 Thanks Tara!

Wow. This was delicious! I cut the recipe in half, but accidentally forgot to halve the brown sugar, so I used 4tbsp along with the chipotle pepper and hot salsa, and it was still reaaaaally good, howevee not spicy at all due to my error which I didn’t realize until I took my first bite, haha. I can’t wait to make the full recipe next time the right way so I can freeze some and always have it on hand! 🙂

This slow cooking Mexican chicken is wonderful. My family thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to having it again. It was better than any Mexican restaurant chicken in town….. and we live right outside of New Orleans and have lots of good restaurant food. This was exceptional!! Thank you for sharing.

Hi, I just recently made this slow cooker chicken and it was awesome!!! I will be making it again, but this time for a large crowd. I would like to make the rice you talked about, but you said use the leftover sauce to cook the rice in, how do I do that? Do I measure out the sauce for the chicken broth???? Help, please!!! ;).

Hi Brittney, so happy you loved this chicken! For the rice, what I meant is to strain the liquid from the slow cooker chicken after its cooked then add chicken broth to the liquid to equal the amount of liquid you would normally use for the rice. Another alternative if you want to have everything done at the same time is to make my Cilantro Lime Rice with Black Beans which is also great – you could even make this in a rice cooker after you saute the onions and jalapenos – recipe here: https://carlsbadcravings.com/one-pot-cilantro-lime-rice-with-black-beans/ Good luck!

Made this last night! It was delicious and so easy. I did cut back the chipotle seasoning by half for the little one since he doesn’t like spivey food. I have never enjoyed chicken as a base for my Mexican food until now! Thanks so much for the easy recipe! It’s going into my regular rotation.

Made this yesterday as the stuffing for chimichanga. Amazing! Very flavorful. I had to use a Dutch oven to cook this since I don’t have a slow cooker. The leftover tastes even better the next day! Def a keeper!

I rubbed the chicken pieces with the dry seasoning you’ve suggested and seared with olive oil. Add the liquid smoke and add the other ingredients. Cook on medium high for a few more minutes. Then I covered the lid and let it simmer for about 2-3 hours. When the meat starts to fall apart when poke with a fork, I increased the heat and kept a close watch til the juice evaporated.

Hi Elizabeth, I would suggest making it without the brown sugar and then you can add it to taste if you find it needs it at the end. I think it helps balance out the heat and the acidity but you might be fine without out – or at least less. Enjoy!

Hi Laina, sorry for my delayed response as I am just getting back from Lake Powell without any service but thank you so much for your comment. Yes, frozen chicken and rotel would work just fine! Enjoy!

This is one of the most flavorful meals I’ve ever made. The spice, the tender chicken, the perfect balance of heat, EVERYTHING is great! Love the addition of brown sugar against the chipotle pepper powder I add.

Hi Spencer, sorry for my delayed response as I am just getting back from Lake Powell without any service but thank you so much for your comment! I love hearing this is a keeper for years to come and that “EVERYTHING is great” – wahoo! Thank you so much!

Jen! I am about to throw all these ingredients in the slow cooker right now! I don’t have chipotle powder so I am thinking about replacing it with a little Ancho chili powder for some depth. Great idea to use the liquid for the rice!!!! Brilliant! The liquid smoke totally sold me on this recipe, love that stuff!

Hi Jennifer! I also love ancho chili powder – I am sure that is a delicious substitute – hope you loved it! And I totally hear you on the liquid smoke-it just adds a little something-something. Still waiting to hear back from SheKnows- will keep you posted!

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